Vitamin E acetate found in lungs of patients with vaping-related illness, CDC says

A woman using a vaping device exhales a puff of smoke. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Nov. 7, 2019, that new government figures show more than 2,000 Americans have come down with vaping-related illnesses. Illnesses have occurred in every state but Alaska. (Tony Dejak / AP)

Public health officials said Friday that initial lab results from patients sickened by the respiratory illness linked to vaping found vitamin E acetate in their lungs, but continued to warn users of all e-cigarette products.

Illinois health officials also released findings of an anonymous survey that asked about vaping habits, and compared it to those who were sick, reaffirming trends previously found, pointing to black market, THC-filled vaping products.

A vitamin E acetate sample is seen at the Medical Marijuana Laboratory of Organic and Analytical Chemistry at the Wadsworth Center in Albany, N.Y. On Nov. 8, 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta said fluid extracted from 29 lung injury patients who vaped contained the chemical compound in all of them. (Hans Pennink / AP)

While Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials called the lab findings significant, additional work is needed to identify if it’s the only cause of the illness that has sickened more than 2,000 and killed at least 39 people across the country, said Dr. Anne Schuchat, CDC principal deputy director.

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The samples were taken from 29 people sickened by the illness, living in 10 states, she said, adding that significance lies in the fact that they’re geographically spread. “We think this is much more robust information than from a single location.”

All 29 of the samples contained vitamin E acetate, Schuchat said. “For the first time, we have detected a potential toxin of concern.”

But Schuchat said further analysis of samples is needed, along with animal studies on the effects of vitamin E acetate when inhaled. The compound — often used as a cutting agent for THC-filled vaping liquid — is also commonly found in skin creams or in dietary supplements. While it’s safe if applied topically or ingested, it can be harmful if inhaled, officials said, likening the compound to a honeylike substance, sticking to lungs.

While previous findings from public health officials have also pointed to black market THC vaping products as the culprit for the mysterious illness that started sending patients struggling to breath to emergency rooms earlier this year, Schuchat on Friday stopped short of counting out other causes. She pointed to the fact that some patients, though a small percentage, reported using only nicotine-filled e-cigarettes.

Besides the lab findings released Friday, Illinois public health officials also reported findings from an online anonymous survey over the past two months of more than 4,600 people who vape.

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A subset of the results were compared with the use habits of 66 people affected by the vaping illness, which officials have named EVALI, which stands for e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury.

The findings showed those with the illness were nine times more likely to have used illegally or informally obtained vaping products and twice as likely to have used THC products, said Dr. Jennifer Layden, IDPH’s chief medical officer.

The sample of those sickened were also more likely to vape more often and more likely to use Dank Vapes, a black market brand already identified among those hospitalized for the illness.